Blog, Lion's Pantry News, Uncategorized
By: Julia Mertes, Communications Intern, The Lion’s Pantry
Local and global food systems, especially with regard to the agricultural practices instated on farm land, impact food security levels.
Leslie Pillen, the associate director of Farm and Food Systems, said there are various dimensions to sustainable agriculture and every person may have a different interpretation about the subject and how it impacts the local community.
Experts define sustainable agriculture as farming utilizing sustainable techniques that help society obtain current food and textile needs while also ensuring future generations will be able to meet their needs, according to UC Davis.
“Sustainable agriculture is about protecting the resource base from which our food comes from, ensuring that there is enough healthy food for all but in a way to not undermine our actual ability to grow food,” Pillen said.
She said people may consider various factors that impact sustainable agriculture.
While “organic agriculture” provides benefits like a reduced chemical load in the environment and chemical exposure for workers, “local agriculture” provides other positives like increased support for the local economy and the protection of the viability of local environments, according to Pillen.
She said another dimension of sustainable agriculture centers around sustainability and ensuring progress is made with climate change and carbon admissions.
Through unsustainable practices, Pillen said “we are—at the end of the day—threatening the resource base that we rely on for food.”
Sophie Eyer currently works as a Student Farm intern, specifically as a wholesale manager whose primary responsibilities include managing the farm’s finances and inventory. Beyond her experience at the Student Farm, she also served as a Lion’s Pantry manager during the 2021-22 academic year.
Eyer said her experiences at Penn State shaped her interest in learning appropriate farming practices that would enable positive benefits in society.
Many large-scale farms that are owned by sizable corporations began using a profit-based system—specifically monocropping—which focuses on the unsustainable practice of producing a single type of crop with available acreage each year, Eyers (senior-community environment and development) said.
“When you’re constantly forcing the soil to just produce the same crop, it’s just going to take out the nutrients, especially if you’re not switching up the products, giving the nutrients it needs otherwise [or] participating in crop rotations that will increase yield,” Eyers said.
Eyers said many industrialized farms utilize machinery and pesticides that create runoff and pollute waterways and other ecological services. However, she said organic practices typically require minimal pesticides and herbicides, which is typically better for the environment, consumers, and sustainable agriculture as a whole.
“These large-scale farms produce a lot of food, which can be seen as a benefit,” Eyer said. “But if anything, it’s producing too much, and we’re faced with food waste. Plus, it’s not sustainable, and if they continue to farm the way that they are, they’re just going to deplete the soil and ruin the natural environment [inhibiting] future production of crops.”
Eyer said having local food systems—like the Student Farm in the Penn State area—helps strengthen a community and connect people with the resources they need.
“The Student Farm is a very good example [of] how a small-scale farm can produce a lot of food because we’re only four acres, and we have eight field blocks,” Eyer said. “Yet, we produce a lot of food, are able to provide food at different kinds of markets and still have leftovers for the volunteers, workers, and people in the community.”
What role do local farms have in food insecurity and sustainable agriculture?
Eyer said she believes local agriculture and sustainable agriculture go “hand-in-hand,” especially in “decreasing one’s footprint.” Sourcing produce from local vendors—rather than outsourcing to locations across the country—decreases transportation costs and carbon outputs, she said.
The average meal consumed in America travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles to reach customers; however, locally grown food averages 45 miles of travel to reach consumers, according to the Borough of State College’s website.
She said people should find ways to support their local and small farmers financially and through programs that support sustainable farming practices.
Eyer said people should learn how to garden and interact with agriculture in order to help provide food for themselves and others in the community. She said community gardens act as a principle way to educate people about gardening and farming practices.
Before her internship with the Student Farm, Eyer said she possessed no gardening or farming experience and had minimal interactions with plants.
“Now, I could say that if you gave me an acre of land, I could grow three types of crops and then be fine for a few months,” Eyer said.
Being a member of the Student Farm and also having experience with The Lion’s Pantry, Eyer said she’s enjoyed seeing how local produce can benefit people facing food insecurity. She said she’s proud that small farms—like their own—can allocate extra produce to those facing food insecurity.
More than 800 million people face hunger every day worldwide, according to US Aid. In fact, the number of individuals facing world hunger rose to an estimated 828 million in 2021, which increased over 50 million people within a year span due to factors like political conflicts, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic, according to a July 2022 report from the World Health Organization.
“Normally, those facing food insecurity have access to products that can sit on the shelf for a long time because it’s easier to donate and keep,” Eyer said. “Fresh produce isn’t always readily available for those individuals, which is crazy because fresh foods provide physical and psychological benefits.”
Eyer said she’s currently collaborating with Student Farm Faculty Partner Leslie Pillen to better understand the disconnect between farm systems and community-based organizations that are trying to provide food services to those in need.
“There’s an issue where we—as a society—just can’t figure out how to create that connection between farmers who have extra produce and people that are food insecure and would benefit from allocations of those products,” Eyer said.
“Working on the farm, it’s made me realize my passion for combatting this issue of food insecurity because I know how to grow, I know how to farm, I could create a lot of change, and I could be a part of these projects that are trying to fix our systems,” Eyer said. “It’s fueling my hunger to help fix this because this many people should not be food insecure in such a developed country.”
Olivia Kranefuss, former Student Farm program director and current conference coordinator, expressed similar sentiments to Eyer regarding the challenges of supplying those in need with excess food.
Kranefuss (senior-agricultural business and management) said unsustainable production methods may quickly produce high quantities of food; however, those facing food insecurity don’t typically have access to those healthy types of food that provide diverse health benefits.
“It’s not always enough to say, ‘Great! Here’s a package of Hamburger Helper or processed chicken nuggets. This will be dinner for a week,’” Kranefuss said. “The next step toward true food security is making healthy and natural food available to all people as well.”
Kranefuss said “many dimensions” exist to food insecurity, and access acts as one of them. She said increasing local food options and sourcing locations would be one way to improve access to fresh food for all people.
Food deserts and apartheids act as another barrier to fresh food since people who have money are unable to access the fruits and vegetables they desire to consume, Kranefuss said. She said local and smaller farms that practice sustainable agriculture would alleviate some of these challenges.
Many rural areas deal with “food deserts,” which are areas with minimal access to healthy foods—potentially due to extensive distances to supermarkets in rural areas. Local farmers provide communities with other healthy food options, which aid in alleviating food insecurity stresses and food deserts, The Institute for Functional Medicine records.
Jimmy Alamia, a Lion’s Pantry Intern and Food Justice Project Team Leader with the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm, said he became involved in both programs “to be a part of solutions that are critical to America as we speak.”
“So many Americans are sitting at home right now absolutely perplexed as to why they feel daily nausea, why they have low productivity, and why their bodies do not feel too functional,” Alamia (sophomore-chemical engineering) said. “I like to inspire change under the idea that the food you put into your body has a deep effect on your everyday health. That’s why I am a part of The Lion’s Pantry and the Student Farm.”
For many people, Alamia said eating healthy remains a luxury, especially since large food companies control food options and set the price point for products.
“The most common unit for measuring how full a product makes you is the calorie, and this is why many people rely on starchy, high-fat foods to survive: their cost-to-calorie ratio is low,” Alamia said. “Sustainable agriculture at Penn State means we can incorporate high-quality produce from the farms in the dining halls on campus, which makes the cost-per-calories of healthy, locally-grown items more affordable.”
What is the Student Farm and its Pay-What-You-Can Market?
Pillen says the Student Farm positively impacts sustainability measures since campus dining purchases a portion of their produce from the Farm, which refrains from using synthetic chemicals on products and only requires short travel time to deliver the produce that will be used for meals and distributed to students.
She said the Penn State Dining Commons can only purchase a limited amount of produce from the Farm, partially due to the limited labor supply.
Since there’s a dwindling number of student workers contributing to food prep within the dining halls, Pillen said the Dining Commons shifted to purchasing pre-cut and prepared fresh produce items to eliminate prep work.
“One driver that will likely limit the volume of produce that comes from local farms is that some of the biggest products preferred by consumers are tropical fruits and vegetables like pineapple, avocados, and bananas that we can’t grow here,” Pillen said.
The Student Farm dedicates time and resources to address food insecurity within the local community, such as through educational programming and film screenings that encourage further dialogue about the issue, according to Pillen
“We try to make sure that the excess produce from the farm, as much as possible, is getting distributed out to people who need it—rather than composted it,” Pillen said.
For instance, Alamia said the Student Farm’s Pay-What-You-Can Market Popups allow students easy accessibility to produce at the HUB.
Project leader Alamia helped found the Student Farm’s “Pay-What-You-Can” Farm Stand, a new initiative where those facing food insecurity could pay an affordable price for fresh produce grown on the Student Farm.
The stand ran from every Monday in October within the HUB-Robeson Center, which provided students and community members easy access for affordable produce that varied throughout the season. No payment was required for the products, but customers were invited to pay using cash, check or LionCash.
“Many people are appreciative, and the donations we receive cover the [approximate] amount of produce we sell,” Alamia said. “Some people pay more than the suggested prices, and some people pay less. We explain the stand’s model to everyone who comes by and that the money we generate will go toward future food insecurity efforts by the Student Farm.”
Alamia said the weekly stand provides students with easy access to healthy and affordable produce that can supplement their nutrition for the week.
“Some are surprised that we don’t require payment for the produce,” Alamia said. “I make it clear that the farm stand is not a business, so people should not feel pressured to buy something. It is completely fine if someone comes, looks around and leaves—there is no pressure.”
“I’ve noticed that the Pay-What-You-Can Market products are the only produce [items] that some people have access to if they don’t live near a grocery store or have a car to get to Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, or Walmart,” Kranefuss said. “Even if people can get to Target for a grocery trip, the store doesn’t have a great variety of produce and it’s often [overly] expensive, which is where local produce can help people.”
Many individuals, especially those in rural and low income communities, struggle with ongoing food price inflation and supply chain issues following the pandemic and current global trends, according to The Institute for Functional Medicine.
Kranefuss said she’s been drawn to participating in the Student Farm because they are so active in addressing problems facing local food systems and work to be part of a solution.
“Food insecurity is a very real issue for students on college campuses around the country, especially for students in off-campus housing who might not have access to on-campus meal plans” Kranefuss said. “Before coming to Penn State, I thought, ‘Oh, people have a meal plan, so they can just go to the dining halls and eat there.’ I didn’t realize that it’s not a viable option for a lot of students who can’t afford meal plans or are dealing with [personal] situations.”
She said she finds “beauty and comfort” knowing where her food comes from and knowing that it was raised in a more natural way, especially at Penn State due to her experiences with the Student Farm.
“The Farm allows students to connect with their food in a way they hadn’t before coming here,” Kranefuss said. “It allows them to see the lettuce used in the dining halls and recognize that it was actually grown a mile and a half from the establishment. It just highlights that farmers are part of a movement connecting people with their food and food systems.”
Blog, Event, Lion's Pantry News, Uncategorized
To The Lion’s Pantry Community:
Created in 2014 to support Penn State students facing food insecurity, The Lion’s Pantry remains a student-run and student-led organization within the university community. A clear need for a student food pantry remains evident according to stories expressed from community members, conversations among similar organizations at large universities, and nation-wide statistics that show hunger is a growing concern for college-aged adults.
The Lion’s Pantry serves every student with a valid Penn State ID. To quantify our impact, The Lion’s Pantry served approximately 2,100 visitors and distributed 34,003 Lb of food and household products in 2021. Our impact has grown since 2020 when our volunteers served 1,673 visitors and distributed 31,355 Lb of supplies, which demonstrates an increasing need for our services within the local community.
The Lion’s Pantry underwent renovations to our main facility off Big Hollow Rd and near Lion Surplus in Summer 2022. To better serve our student community, the Pantry purchased freezer and refrigeration units to slowly offer perishable food items that are highly desired by Penn State students. Moreover, our facility updated the bathroom facilities and created a better storage system that will improve operations across the board.
Thank you for supporting The Lion’s Pantry as we work to serve our student body and mitigate student food insecurity at the University Park campus. Through your generous donations and contributions, we will accomplish our goals of spreading awareness for food insecurity, mitigate the stigma, and continue working toward better serving those who require our resources. It is your continued support that sustains our mission and makes all the difference.
On November 29, The Lion’s Pantry will participate in Giving Tuesday, a global generosity campaign. To donate during to The Lion’s Pantry during the upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign, please find our page here.
If you have any questions about The Lion’s Pantry and our ongoing efforts and needs, please contact us via email at thelionspantry@psu.edu. Thank you for supporting us and our pertinent cause.
Best regard,
The Lion’s Pantry Executive Team
Blog, Lion's Pantry News, Recipes, Uncategorized
By: Julia Mertes, Communications Intern, The Lion’s Pantry
While attending college and balancing the demands of work, school, and personal obligations, many people fail to practice meal planning tips. However, meal planning helps improve one’s diet by ensuring nutritional values are considered and eliminates excess food waste.
Here are 20 tips and tricks to successful meal planning to implement into your daily and weekly schedules:
- Consider the food groups that you will be eating.
When planning your meals for the week or month, be aware of the food groups being represented in your plan.
- Are you getting enough protein, fruits and vegetables?
- Are there any food groups missing?
- Are you eating excess salt or sugar?
- Can you substitute a food item for another to ensure appropriate food group portions?
Try to find recipes that incorporate various food groups.
- Organize your cooking space.
In order to know the ingredients that you’ll need to pick up during your next shopping trip, you’ll need an organized cooking space and cupboard system. If you have a container of peanut butter in the cupboard, you wouldn’t want to pick up another unit when you go to the store again. Know the items you have in your cupboard and plan accordingly.
- Store your cooking products appropriately.
Purchase quality storage containers to keep your food in and ensure freshness of items. When garnering storage products, check to ensure they will serve your purposes.
- Is the container large enough?
- Do you need smaller containers for single-portion leftovers?
- Is the container suitable for freezing, microwaving or dishwasher cleaning?
Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash
- Use labels to organize your food and its expiration date.
Once you make a recipe or garner leftovers, label the container with the date it was made. Keep track of when your food is appropriate to consume and when it should be thrown away with this hack.
- Find recipes for food ingredients that are close to expiration.
If you have a product that’s close to its expiration date, search online or in cookbooks for recipes that you could make. Use the products while you can and make the most of what you have.
- Maintain a stock of staple food items to integrate into meals.
When meal prepping, you may consider keeping basic food items in your pantry to make menu planning easier. For instance, you could keep baking essentials like baking powder, baking soda, flour, cornstarch, and oils in your pantry since they are used within a variety of recipes. If you enjoy making recipes with beans, pasta, soup broths, or canned meats, these may also be ingredients to keep on hand. You may also want to stock your cupboards with spices and herbs that could be easily integrated into meals.
Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash
- Designate a particular day or time to meal plan and organize your cooking area.
Find a day that you will consistently have time to organize your cooking space and plan upcoming meals. If you have free time over the weekend, choose a time that would work best for your schedule consistently. Consistency is key!
- Keep track of your favorite meals.
Once you find a new recipe, make sure to write it down or print it out to save for future meals. Get a binder or recipe box and keep track of the recipes you plan to make in the future. If the recipe is in a cookbook, mark it with post-it notes. If you found it on Pinterest or Facebook, share it so you can find it again in the future.
- Make a list of items you’ll need for recipes and upcoming meals.
Plan ahead. What recipes do you want to make this week? List the ingredients and check your pantry to see what items you need to pick up at the store. Figure out what other meals can be made with those ingredients. If you are making a recipe with rice, try to find other foods to make that will also use rice as a primary (or even secondary) ingredient.
Photo by Jason Jarrach on Unsplash
- Prep your fruits and vegetables appropriately as soon you return home.
After purchasing fresh produce from the store, take the time to wash, cut and store them appropriately so they will be easier to eat—even amid busy work schedules. If you need to roast vegetables, for upcoming meals take time to heat your oven and throw the vegetables in to cook.
- Repurpose your leftovers and use them to make a delicious meal.
If you have leftovers from your favorite dinner or lunch, you don’t need to reheat the same meal over and over. Take your leftovers and be creative. In fact, create new meals out of your leftovers, which will allow you to save food, stash up money, and create something delicious.
- Pre-portion your food.
If you have a substantial-sized box or package of food, consider dividing the items up into easily snackable portions. You could pour the product into a particular number of bags or measure out the serving size (or the amount you desire) using measuring cups.
Photo by Scott Warman on Unsplash
- Avoid shopping while you’re hungry.
If possible, avoid shopping while you’re hungry as you’ll likely pick up products that you don’t need or won’t use. In fact, science supports the idea that going to the store when hungry promotes excess shopping and binge purchases that would not be made otherwise, according to Healthline. So, we recommend munching on a granola bar or some other snack before planning your next grocery visit.
- Try new recipes and incorporate fun ingredients.
If you’re tired of eating the same thing every day, consider experimenting with new recipes and incorporating fun ingredients into your typical dishes.
- Consider how much cook time is required of different recipes and meals.
When planning and deciding which meals to make during the week, consider how long the prep time and cook time will be. If you are expecting a busy day full of classes and a work shift, plan meals with minimal cook time that can be made and eaten on the go.
Photo by Sandi Benedicta on Unsplash
- Make extra food, when possible.
If you can double a recipe, do so! Then, you will have easy meals for the rest of the week. Simply store the products appropriately and you can save your dish for a subsequent lunch or dinner.
- Stick to your plan.
It can be tempting to deviate from one’s plans, especially during a busy week. However, try to stay motivated and stick to your plan whenever possible. Use the foods that you planned to cook with throughout the week and make some delicious meals that will leave you full and energized.
- Try planning meals that revolve around a particular theme, like Mexican and Southwest items.
If meal planning seems boring to you, alternate your meal plans according to themes. Make a Mexican or Southwest menu for the week. Then, change it up and create a fruit-filled menu plan. Here are some other options to consider:
- Vegan Week — Eat your favorite vegan recipes like eggplant lasagna and vegan chili.
- Meat-Lovers Week — Eat recipes with your favorite meat products like lamb chops, sloppy joes, walking tacos, and beef stroganoff.
- Italian Week — It’s time to make the best Italian dishes like pasta, pizza, meatballs, and risotto.
- Polish Week — Whip up some Polish dinner like pierogi, potato pancakes, and haluski.
- Spanish Flavors Week — Make dishes with Spanish flavors like churros, paella, and gazpacho.
- Greek Cuisine Week — Use this week to make Greek-inspired dishes like stuffed eggplants, gyros, Greek lasagna, and Greek meatballs.
- German Specialties Week — Plan some German meals for the week like pretzels, bratwurst, and braised cabbage.
- Asian Cuisine Week — Create different Asian dishes throughout the week like spring rolls, wonton soup, samosas, Kung Pao chicken, and stir fry.
- Diner Dinners Week — Choose food items that you would typically find in a diner like hamburgers, turkey sandwiches, and buttermilk pancakes.
- Chopped (The TV Show) Family Meals Week — Recreate the traditional television show by using specified items to make new recipes for the week.
- Favorite Recipes Week — Create your favorite dishes from your saved recipes.
- Under the Sea Themed Week — Catch some seafood-themed meal this week like shrimp fried rice and fish tacos.
- Fireside Supper and Campfire Week — This is your chance to make some smoky and warm treats. For instance, whip up a foil pack, grilled cheese, or chicken skewer.
- Indian Cuisine Week — Make a meal plan with butter chicken, curry, chicken marsala, and naan.
- Breakfast for Dinner Week — Who said breakfast should only occur during certain times of the day? Eat a breakfast sandwich, omelet, or homemade muffin as delectable meals throughout the week.
- Soup and Salad Themed Week — Experiment with different soup and salad recipes.
- Appetizers Themed Week — This is a great opportunity to have some classic appetizers like pigs in a blanket, buffalo chicken dip, spinach artichoke dip, chicken wings, and deviled eggs.
- Movie Night Week — Eat the foods you’d typically eat during movie nights (or recipes that you found through movies). For instance, make variations of pizza, homemade garlic bread, calzones, and empanadas.
- American Dishes Week — The United States holds certain dishes as delicacies like apple pie, bagels, biscuits and gravy, grits, barbeque, tater tots and Philadelphia cheesesteaks. Add them all to your list this week.
- Sandwich Week — Make a variety of sandwiches and interpret it as you please. Do you consider tacos to be sandwiches? How about hotdogs or hamburgers? The possibilities are endless.
- Soul Food Week — Whip up some delicious fried chicken, warm cornbread, and gooey macaroni and cheese. There are many options to make!
- Slow Cooker Foods Week — Do you have a busy week? Plan a variety of slow cooker recipes for each day!
- French Feast Week — Find inspiration from French cuisine by making food like French onion soup and Boeuf Bourguignon.
- Bite Sized Meals Week — Create meals that you can eat in one bite. Think of pinwheel sandwiches, protein bites, chicken nuggets, wontons, and zucchini chips.
- Try using slow cooker meals so your dinner will be done when you come home.
If you have a busy schedule, using a slow cooker to make meals will save time and ensure a nutritious dish is completed when work or school is completed.
- Multitask when possible to get more things done at once.
Although multitasking may not always be plausible, you may find time to get multiple things done at once. For instance, you can try watching the new Hallmark holiday movie while meal prepping.
Who is Raylyn Tarquinio? 
